Doctor Who Unbound - New Direction
by the stargate time traveller
Summary: During the fight against Palpatine, aka Darth Sidious, Mace Windu is betrayed by Anakin Skywalker until a stranger puts a stop to the battle. But is it too late for Anakin to be redeemed? (Full Fathom Five universe)


Disclaimer - I own neither Star Wars or Doctor Who.

The Doctor in this one-shot is from the Big Finish drama 'Full Fathom Five', where the Doctor is played by David Collings in a parallel universe where the Doctor believes the ends justify the means, and he doesn't hesitate to kill people if he believes they haven't learnt from devastating events.

Please feel free to leave feedback.

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New Direction.

As he and his fellow Jedi walked grimly with resolve through the familiar corridors towards the Chancellor's office, though on this occasion the trip wasn't some meaningless political visit due to a situation manufactured and manipulated by the Chancellor himself where the Jedi, ironically enough, would be forced to play the games of the Sith Lord who had definitely masterminded the entire galactic mess known as the Clone Wars, Jedi Master Mace Windu still couldn't believe the direction events had taken.

Behind him were some of the finest Jedi Masters in the Order who were more than capable of holding their own in a fight that this was likely to degenerate into while other Jedi Masters were off world, commanding legions of the Clone Army against the seeming never-ending nightmare of the Clone Wars, which had been waging for the last couple of years, causing the loss of millions of lives while all the time the _**thing **_they were about to arrest had caused it.

The thought of the Sith being powerful enough to not only reach this position in government was bad enough, but the Jedi had known the Sith had something to do with the war.

A war caused by the machinations of the Sith, by the Chancellor himself… The very thought of it frightened Mace, but he stopped the fear from overwhelming him since the implications that galactic events were being manipulated and controlled by the Sith Lord ahead indicated this particular Sith was far more clever and evil than some of the ones who had waged bloody military campaigns in the past.

Mace Windu knew that whatever happened here was going to affect the galaxy and the Jedi for years to come, and since the Masters behind him were among the most experienced he would need all the strength he could get in order to deal with Palpatine.

The Sith must be stopped now before it was too late.

He had Agen Kolar, Saesee Tinn, and Kit Fisto with him. He could feel their calm and placid resolve in the Force as they went to confront the Sith Lord who had been ruling the Republic under their very noses all this time.

For years the Jedi Order had been aware of the return of the Sith ever since Obi-Wan and Qui Gon Jinn had returned to Coruscant to report about the unholy mess caused by the Trade Federation when they'd blockaded Naboo, and they reported an encounter with a vicious Zabrak who'd been well trained in the Jedi arts, who wielded a double-bladed red lightsaber who had been truly strong in the dark side, though it wasn't until later they'd believed it since the Sith, on the whole, had been extinct for a thousand years, though what they'd been doing in galactic events between then and now.

Mace had to admit the Sith had been clever; they had spent a thousand years practically existing as a secret order where there would only be two instead of a whole order such as their rivals in the Jedi Order.

A master and an apprentice, and he remembered that quiet talk he'd had with Master Yoda during the funeral of Qui-Gon who had been the first Jedi to be killed by a Sith for more than a thousand years (that they knew of since it was possible, and even likely that occasionally between the time when the Sith last openly walked amongst the stars when they weren't killing themselves or being killed in duels by lucky and powerful Jedi knights and this current hell of the Clone Wars, a Sith had gotten lucky and managed to fight and kill a Jedi who was taken by surprise by the appearance of a Sith) about the confirmation the powerful warrior and assassin who had been despatched to find the then Queen Amidala had been a Sith Lord.

"There's no doubt the mysterious warrior was a Sith," he recalled saying to Yoda during the funeral pyre.

"Always two there are. No more. No less. A master and an apprentice," Yoda had said to him quietly.

"But which was destroyed," Mace had asked at the time, his mind already churning with the ramifications of the events and the fact the blockade itself had been part of a bigger scheme, a game whose rules they could not rightly see at the time, "the master or the apprentice?"

If he had known at the time the Sith Master was only a few feet away, and worse he had been given the highest position of power within the Republic…

Mace pushed those thoughts aside. Now was not the time to think about the past. He had to centre himself, trust in the Force to help him in the upcoming duel between himself and his fellow Jedi against the unknown quantity of the Sith Lord who had been Chancellor of the Republic for a decade already and had only amassed nigh-unlimited powers during the course of the Clone Wars. The fate of not only the galaxy and the Republic, and the Jedi Order depended on what happened in the room up ahead in a good few minutes, and he had to be ready for everything because the _thing _who had orchestrated this war for the past couple of years, manipulating events for his own benefit was not going to go down without a fight.

How in the name of the Maker could the Jedi have not known Palpatine was the Sith Lord? It was shocking and unthinkable enough, but what made it worse was the fact the Council had known since the very dawn of the fighting on Geonosis, Dooku himself had confessed to Obi-Wan the Senate of the Republic was under the control of Sith Lord named Darth Sidious.

The council had, once more, been sceptical since they had believed they would have known and would definitely have dealt with the existence of such a Sith Lord. They had believed in Dooku, only to be horribly woken up by reality, and it was happening again.

Why, why was this happening?

What had happened to their famous Jedi foresight?

_But then again, our ability to use the Force has diminished, hasn't it? _Mace couldn't help but think to himself, remembering how he had spoken with Yoda when the latter had experienced pain from Anakin Skywalker.

That event and so many others had shown the Jedi Council on the whole that things were not going their way. But right now, Mace's mind was focused on Palpatine and the need to stop him before he caused any more damage while presenting a caring, benevolent facade which was definitely false.

What Mace couldn't work out was why Palpatine had practically revealed himself to Anakin for. Mace had never particularly liked or trusted Skywalker in all the time they'd known each other; the other Jedi was too reckless, too flashy, too arrogant and full of himself as he seemed to believe that being the so-called 'Chosen One' seemed to make Skywalker believe he was entailed.

Unfortunately, arrogance was something many Jedi, including a fair number of the older and more experienced members of the Order could be accused of, but there was just something about Skywalker that put Mace and quite a few other members of the Council on edge and the fact the Chancellor himself had appointed Skywalker as a member of the Council was bad enough since he was essentially meddling in Jedi affairs.

But if Anakin had assumed for one minute that little temper tantrum of his was endearing when he was told in simple and brusque words he would be on the Council only he would not be a Jedi Master, he would need to rethink his place in the Order. Seriously, what did the fool expect? That they would make him a master just because _Palpatine _said so.

And yet… and yet Palpatine had revealed himself to Skywalker, but how and why? The only possibility Mace could think of was that the devious Sith Lord was trying to coerce him into the dark side, but fortunately Anakin had immediately left and came to the temple to warn the Jedi Order of the danger and for that Mace was grateful since the Council had been trying to think of a way they could get Palpatine out of his seat of power without the Senate causing hell for them amid screams and roars of treason for going against the mandate of the Republic.

Mace pushed the thoughts of Skywalker out of his mind as he and his fellow Jedi came to the office itself. Standing outside the door, imposing in their flowing red robes and their faces covered with helmets were Palpatines' infamous 'Red Guards.' The guards immediately reacted to the presence of the advancing Jedi, but before they could do anything more than point their Force-pikes in their direction, Mace waved his hand and knocked the guards out unceremoniously before they stepped into Palpatine's suite.

The Sith Lord was sitting at his desk working through the night, though now he knew the man was a Sith and was responsible for the destruction and the deaths of millions of people, Mace honestly had no idea if Palpatine was monitoring the state of the war so he could be informed or if he was busy monitoring the Senate, and at this point the Jedi Master genuinely didn't really care.

Palpatine sensed their presence and swivelled around, his face a picture of theatrical innocence. "Master Windu," he said in a business like manner though Mace was not fooled since the Sith Lord must know Anakin must have told the Council of his true nature, otherwise why bring so many Jedi Masters?

"I take it General Grievous has been destroyed then," Palpatine went on though his manner changed as he took in all of the Jedi who'd come with Mace to the office, and Mace saw the lack of surprise or even fear on Palpatine's face as he took in the entourage before he dropped the act. "I must say you're here sooner than I expected."

Mace took out his lightsaber and ignited it without preamble - this wasn't the time to get into a battle of words - and his fellow Jedi followed suit while he noticed them taking positions around the entrance of the office to block off any chance of the Sith Lord trying to escape before they ignited their blades immediately after he himself did. "In the name of the Galactic Senate of the Republic, you're under arrest _Chancellor," _Mace announced while putting special emphasis of the title the Sith Lord had manipulated Senator Amidala into calling for a vote of no confidence in Valorum's leadership though at the time no-one had been sorry to see the back of the equally corrupt politician, though now the Jedi could see the manipulations had made a mockery of the time honoured democratic processes of election.

Palpatine's expression became dark and the Jedi Masters collectively felt the dark side of the Force in the room increase in strength though it was not as strong as they had felt before; they had known for a long time the Chancellor was practically wrapped up in its influence and this was before they knew the hideous truth about the man. "Are you threatening me, Master Jedi?" Palpatine challenged, his voice lower and more dangerous which was unlike the persona he presented to everyone in the Republic.

Mace glared at the Sith Lord while trying to maintain his composure - he could tell from his senses that the other Jedi Masters were trying to do the same, but since this was the most powerful Sith Lord they'd encountered in their careers when in the past they'd only had to deal with Dooku, it was difficult. "The senate will decide your fate," Mace replied with finality.

The dark aura throughout the room only increased in strength as Palpatine unleashed more of it into the room now he saw no point in truly masking his presence, but strangely the Sith Lord was not fully showing his true power.

Mace didn't have time to truly ponder why the Sith Lord was not revealing his true strength since there wasn't much point given that his secret had been discovered now the Jedi were confronting him because Palpatine interrupted his thoughts. "I am the senate!" the Chancellor said in a harsh, guttural tone that embodied the very essence of the dark side.

"Not yet," Mace told him, knowing full well what the consequences would be if Palpatine stayed in power without the Jedi to stop him.

Palpatine stood up quietly, and Mace tensed when he noticed the Chancellor's stance. Palpatine flicked out his right hand and a lightsaber appeared in his grip.

Mace stared at the weapon for a second, adding it to the proof of Palpatine's Sith identity.

"It's treason then," Palpatine said with mocking solemnity as though he were not a Sith Lord confronted by his own Order's greatest foe and was instead an ordinary judge passing judgement on the Jedi before he ignited his lightsaber and a traditional Sith red blade appeared from the weapon.

With a bestial roar Palpatine leapt into the air and corkscrewed towards the assembled Jedi while the Jedi Masters were swamped by the full effects of the Sith Lord's malignant aura while Mace and the others instantly went into their fighting stances, but the aura let out by the Sith Lord made it hard for the Jedi Masters to truly use their own Force insight to help them, so they were taken off guard.

Palpatine growled as he plunged his lightsaber straight into Master Kolar's chest before the Jedi Master could even react. Saesee Tinn tried to take Palpatine from behind, and Mace felt a stirring of hope. If they could box him in…

But the Sith Lord was too fast and slashed Tinn in the side with a swipe that was almost an afterthought before he engaged in the real fight. Mace worked with Kit in trying to out duel the Sith, both Jedi Masters relying on years of experience just to keep the Sith Lord from striking them down.

Unfortunately, Palpatine was more powerful than he let on, and Fisto who'd managed to hold back the Chancellor who was raining blow after blow with all the power against the Jedi's defences with a fury the two Jedi Masters could never hope to match was soon cut down. The Nautolan Jedi Master died with a cry as his spirit went out into the Force.

But Mace didn't have time to dwell on the death of the legendary Jedi Master as he and Palpatine took the duel into the corridor with him in the lead so he could use the time to gather his defences and his energy in order to meet the Sith Lord who came after him before their blades met again, and Mace realised Palpatine was driving him further back the corridor to the public office close to the ostentatious art collection Palpatine loved to display.

Soon Mace and the Sith Lord ended up in a blade lock as they both struggled to continue the duel. The pair of them ended up close together as they struggled to continue their duel - Jedi Master and Sith Lord, both locked in combat.

Mace's face contorted with the effort as he continued to duel, but he kept his energy and his emotions focused through the Force while he tried to submerge himself into his signature fighting style before they broke the hold and took the fight at last into the public office. Although Mace was impressed with Palpatine's skill and agility despite the aged appearance, reminding him age was no guarantee of power, while the Sith Master launched a series of attacks which proved fruitless since they were fuelled with rage and aggression against Mace's logical reasoning even while Mace's fighting style pushed the boundaries of what a Jedi should really use though it was proving to be more than effective since the Jedi Master was using his surroundings to his advantage, he couldn't help but marvel at this duel as their blades clashed and Palpatine was being forced to give up a tremendous amount of ground in the office towards the massive viewing window, which was shattered by one of the missed strikes.

Ignoring his cloak as it flapped in the wind as they were quite high up and the wind swept in the stench of the air speeder's engines which he quickly ignored, the pair of them continued their duel, pausing only so then they could use a few seconds of time to gauge the other's strategies. Mace studied his opponent calmly, immersing himself into the Force to keep him centred so he could anticipate the Sith Lord's moves. In contrast, Palpatine was snarling at him, his expression showing a shade of the Sith identity he had worked hard to hide for so many years.

This was the real Palpatine.

Tiring of the temporary pause the Sith Master snarled at him again, and swung his lightsaber against Mace, and the Jedi Master managed to just bring his own weapon up before they fought in a brief flurry of bladework with the Chancellor unleashing a barrage of strikes and slashes to overwhelm the Jedi Master, but Mace pressed back equally hard, refusing to even give Palpatine the chance to find a way to kill him; both of them were determined to get the upper hand, using their momentary pauses to find a hole in the defences of the other while they both used their surroundings to find whatever leverage they could in their duel.

As their blades clashed and the air echoed with the sound of two lightsabers striking against one another, Mace knew he couldn't keep this going forever; the Sith Lord had a veritable ocean of anger and hatred to call upon which would give him incredible strength and power, he didn't. He might be able to call upon the Force connection he himself had, but eventually, Palpatine was likely to find a flaw in his defences and take advantage of it. He had to end this. After managing to dodge another barrage of lightsaber strikes which allowed Mace to dash around his opponent, he managed to land a kick to Palpatine's face which took the Sith Lord by surprise and sent him crashing onto the window ledge, his lightsaber sent flying from his grasp and deactivating itself beyond the reach of the Sith Lord as it went out of the window.

Grimly Mace Windu advanced on Palpatine, his lightsaber outstretched, and the Sith Lord quickly backed up and crawled backwards as quickly as he could to get away from the lightsaber coming closer towards him, until he could go no further on the ledge as Mace advanced on him. The Jedi Master couldn't help but feel it was anticlimactic as he advanced on the Sith Lord, watching as the anger and the hatred which had given the Chancellor so much strength and energy when he had fought against suddenly seemed to disappear. Now he looked like he was a second away from either begging for mercy, or sobbing in terror.

While Mace was thinking all of this was so anticlimactic given how the duel had started with the deaths of three of the most highly regarded Jedi Masters, he felt a tremor in the Force and he risked a quick glance with the corner of his eye and he watched as Anakin Skywalker entered the office, and he pushed down the immediate sense of annoyance he felt at the sight of the young Jedi. What was he doing here? He should be back at the Temple where Mace had told him to stay.

Mace pushed the irritation aside and he focused on the Sith Lord cowering in front of him, not fooled for a second by the act, knowing Palpatine was waiting for an opportunity to do something. "You are under arrest, _my lord," _the Jedi Master said simply in a mocking tone.

Palpatine turned his head slowly, an expression of relief spreading across his aged features as he took in the sight of Anakin approaching even as Mace signalled for the other Jedi to stop. "Anakin! I told you it would come to this!" the Sith Lord cried. "I was right. The Jedi are taking over!"

_What? What in the name of the Prime Jedi has been going on between these two? _Mace thought in outrage as he studied Anakin, seeing a resolve in the young Jedi's expression. No matter. Anakin had done the right thing in informing the Council about the Sith Lord in the senate.

And yet…

Mace just could not shake off the concern he was feeling right now that Skywalker would just believe what Palpatine said, and it worried him the boy would be so trusting. Knowing he had to make it clear to Skywalker that Palpatine had never been his friend, Mace said, "You old fool! The oppression of the Sith will never return. Your plot to regain control of the Republic is over. _You have lost."_

Palpatine's face twisted with maniacal rage and the cowering facade was dropped. "No! No! No!" the Sith Lord's shouts turned into screams as his voice became a guttural and harsh growl as it became steeped in the power of the dark side. "You will die!" Mace barely noticed the older man's hands rising before he felt a warning in the Force. He barely had time to raise his lightsaber before the blinding blue sparks of Sith Lightning was shot straight at his face, but he managed to block the lightning and through the bright light from the electrical Force energy which he could taste was tainted with the power of the dark side, he could just see Palpatine being pushed against the wall.

"He's a traitor!" Mace heard Palpatine shout at Anakin who was still standing there, looking like he was an inch away from breaking down because he couldn't decide who to help.

"He is the traitor!" Mace countered, gasping under the strain of holding all the Sith Lightning back with his lightsaber; he could feel the molten white rage and hatred from the lightning, he could feel it through his fingers although none of the dark side energy was touching his skin. He knew the Sith was getting the upper hand, but Palpatine could be defeated if only Skywalker would step in and help.

Why wasn't he doing anything to help? Mace Windu had always held the other Jedi at arm's length and had never trusted him, but surely Skywalker had more common sense than that? But was Palpatine's so-called friendship with the younger Jedi really _that strong? _

The Jedi Master had had enough. Drawing upon the Force to help him, he poured some new strength into his arms holding his lightsaber and used that strength to push the lightning towards Palpatine to reflect the lightning back on the Sith Lord. Mace felt it was a fitting irony that the Sith Lord get a dose of his own medication for using this same power.

"I have the power," Palpatine managed to get out as he was being electrocuted by the devastating energies ravaging his body, some of it even scarring and deforming his face; even through the brightness of the lightning, Mace could still see the other man's face become cracked and discoloured as though it were paper being slowly burnt by a candle flame, "to save the one you love. You must choose."

"Don't listen to him, Anakin!" Mace managed to get out, straining as the Force lightning seemed to be growing in intensity. The strain of holding back Palpatine's relentless onslaught told him he had really underestimated the Sith's power as it was poured out against him. Mace almost felt like one man trying to hold back a tidal wave. All of his concentration was focused on the one task ahead of him. He needed to keep Palpatine from breaching his defences because he couldn't help but feel Skywalker would let him down.

Thinking of the young Jedi made him think. He couldn't really turn his head around to see the other man's expression, but he could feel Skywalker's confusion and conflict through the Force. He couldn't really muster the energy, but part of Mace was desperate to know what Palpatine was talking about. Who was Palpatine speaking about? Was it Senator Amidala? That would make sense, but surely Anakin wasn't stupid enough to fall for the empty promises of power the Sith regularly used to recruit new members?

Anakin was a Jedi. He had grown up hearing stories of how the Sith routinely lied to people. Surely he wasn't this desperate to believe in something that was false? Even if his desires were right, although the Jedi Code frowned on attachment, the Sith never fulfilled their promises.

With those last words, Mace pushed against the wall of Sith lightning and it was shoved straight at Palpatine, making him more deformed than before.

"Don't let him kill me!" Palpatine begged Anakin desperately as his cheeks became scarred into folds. "I can't hold it any longer. I can't…. I'm weak. I'm too weak."

Mace forced himself to push further on, determined not to lose his advantage against the Sith; he had been fooled by the Dark Lord before, he had no intention of it now. All that talk about being weak to further sway Anakin was a lie, and it was evidence enough the young Jedi Knight had been compromised by the Sith Lord. Just what had Palpatine promised him? What was happening?

"Anakin. Help me! Help me!" the Sith Lord begged as he stopped pouring the lightning towards Mace, and leaned back against the wall as if in exhaustion but Mace wasn't fooled by the Sith.

"I-I can't hold on much longer," the Sith wheezed as if breathless, and while Mace could definitely 'feel' the so-called exhaustion in the Force, he had no doubt in his mind he was using it to further bring Skywalker into the fight on his side. Mace had no intention of letting Palpatine try to corrupt the young Jedi even further.

"I'm going to end this once and for all," he announced, glaring down at the Sith Lord.

"You can't," Skywalker said for the first time, and Mace glared at the Jedi out of the corner of his eye, not dropping his stance for a second as he prepared for the Sith to once more attack him full on. "He must stand trial."

Mace glared back at the young Jedi, unable to believe that he thought it was that simple. "He has control of the senate and the courts," Mace reminded Skywalker seriously, not bothering to say that he had managed to get hold of those powers as the wars had continued. "He's too dangerous to be left alive."

Mace was about to add something more, a reminder to Anakin about how the Sith had tempted Jedi Knights and even a few of the wisest of their Masters to their cause, but Palpatine spoke again, once more keeping up with the ridiculous act of being feeble and defenceless. "I'm too weak," the Sith Lord said as he tilted his head backwards, clearly feigning weakness which was just too pathetic for words. "Don't kill me, please!"

"It's not the Jedi way," Skywalker continued with the argument, and Mace had to bite back the annoyance he was feeling, "he must live."

Mace backed up a little, making the Sith Lord look at him with wide eyes, and he made sure to let his intentions bleed out into the Force so both Palpatine and Skywalker knew what he was going to do.

It was time to end this, it was time to destroy the Sith since the so-called 'Chosen One' didn't seem to be up to the task because his mind was on other things.

Mace spared the young Jedi a quick once over and he saw the desperation in Skywalker's eyes. Mace was surprised that the idiot was so taken in by Palpatine's empty promises he decided that he wasn't going to even try to make the young Knight see any sense.

Palpatine's eyes widened in fear, the blue from the Chancellor gone, leaving behind a bright amber hue. "Please don't," the Sith Lord begged (if Mace needed any further proof of the Sith Lord's acting abilities, it was here; it was _obvious _the Sith Lord was lying and acting, and yet Anakin seemed sure he wasn't putting up an act. How the boy was so stupid, Mace had no idea).

"I need him," Skywalker said desperately.

Mace couldn't believe this. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Anakin knew how dangerous Sith Lords were; Gods, he had been _blasted _once with Sith Lightning at the dawn of the Clone Wars! He had lost his arm to Dooku, and he had seen the atrocities caused by the Sith's manipulation of the Separatists. Just what in the name of the Force had Sidious told him that would make him forget all of those teachings each young Jedi received that would make him think the Sith would help him unless he'd planned for the whole thing?

Mace decided he'd had more than enough of this nonsense, so he lifted his lightsaber upwards behind his back, ready to swing it down to bisect Palpatine, otherwise known as Darth Sidious and finally end the Sith because Skywalker, who was supposed to be doing the job didn't seem to know his duty and had been clearly tempted by the Dark side. Even as he lifted the blade, his mind wandered as he tried to think of a way he could make Anakin see some sense…

Palpatine's eyes widened in feigned fear. "Please don't!" he shouted desperately.

"NO!" Too late Mace felt a terrible stirring of emotions within Skywalker, and before he could defend himself, he heard Skywalker ignite his own lightsaber, and he only had the briefest of seconds before the azure coloured blade sliced off his arm, and sent it and his own lightsaber out of the window where it disappeared.

Mace Windu screamed in shock and agony at the loss of his arm. He felt cold, shaken and nauseous, and he felt like he was barely able to properly stand upright. He had never felt so much pain in his life or during his career as a Jedi Master. Mace had been hurt in the past, but he had never felt anything as bad as this.

Suddenly he was hit in the face and chest by a blast of Sith Lighting coming from Palpatine, and he felt himself being pushed out of the room, through the window, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He was defenceless, he had lost his lightsaber, and he was in agony from the effects of the lightning as it electrocuted him and his sliced off limb had left him numb all over. He could feel Palpatine's triumph through the Force, and Skywalker's regret and guilt at what he'd just done, but Mace couldn't spare any real effort to care for what the traitorous Jedi had done for his newfound allegiance to the Sith.

"POWER!" he heard Palptine scream. "UNLIMITED POWER!"

Suddenly the lightning stopped and Mace was left with a sensation that everything around him vanished. It took him a few seconds while he tried hard not to stagger back as the momentum of the lightning had pushed him back against the still open window before he realised the truth.

Somehow, he had been cut off from the Force. He had no awareness of anything, nothing.

Skywalker was looking around in shock, looking at lightheaded as Mace himself thought, showing this wasn't a phenomenon only Mace himself was feeling, and judging from Palpatine's equally confused look as he stared at his hands which were no longer shooting the lightning, the Sith was just as powerless.

"What?" Skywalker said desperately as he looked around, clearly trying not to meet Mace's eyes after what he'd just done although the Jedi Master could tell he regretted his move. "What's happened?"

"What's happened to the Force?" Palpatine asked. Both adversaries - Jedi and Sith - were both united in their confusion while he looked at his hands which had stopped shooting the lightning at the same time Mace's awareness of the Force had just disappeared.

"Pardon the interruption," an unfamiliar voice spoke from the doorway of the office.

Startled by the intrusion, the three men in the office looked up and turned and saw in surprise an unfamiliar man walking into the room to stand near the desk. Somehow managing to push through the pain without the Force to help him, though he was using this latest turn of events to help him ignore it, Mace studied the man. He looked around Obi-Wan's age, maybe a little older though it was hard to tell, with brownish-red hair, flecked with grey, dressed in a long red velvet jacket, a blue shirt and something large tied around his throat in a bow. The strangest thing about the man was that he was wearing a strange harness which held three yellowish lizards strapped to his back and his chest - Mace could see a third tail even though he couldn't see the other creature.

The stranger walked into the room before he pulled out a blaster from his pocket and aimed it towards Palpatine, and without any preamble, he fired it right into the Sith Lord's head.

"What did you do that for?!" Anakin yelled, furious as he glared at the man. "He would have helped me save Padme-."

"Do you really believe that?" the stranger asked silently, but something in his voice and manner immediately silenced the young Jedi who was usually very difficult to silence at the best of times.

Tears came into Anakin's eyes, and he reached out which his hand to telekinetically rip the blaster from the other man's hand, but nothing happened. Anakin stared at his hand in disbelief. "Wh-what happened?" he asked, gazing at his hand in confusion.

The stranger indicated his harness. "These are ysalamiris; they come from a planet where they are hunted by a predator which uses the Force to flush them out. As a result, they have evolved a way of negating the Force with the aid of a bubble. I brought three with me to ensure that nothing happens to myself."

"Those lizards stop the Force?" Mace whispered while he tried hard to control the lightheaded feeling he was experiencing while his body felt the after-effects of the decapitation and the blast of Force Lightning. He wished he had the Force to help him soothe the pain, but he had to rely on putting his mind on other things to get him through this.

"If you like," the stranger shrugged his shoulders, clearly uncaring about giving a proper reply. "Actually I am sorry I am late; I had hoped to arrive before the point of no return occurred."

"Point of no return?" Anakin echoed, confused.

"Yes, you attacking Master Windu. I knew it was going to happen, but it seems the moment isn't in flux as I'd hoped. I hope you realise that without Palpatine here to cloud your judgement-," the stranger was saying before Skywalker interrupted him, while Mace was curious about what the stranger meant by the moment not being in flux, but he was in no mental condition to truly think or dwell on the matter.

"Cloud my judgement?!" Skywalker yelled, suddenly very angry. "Palpatine would have shown me how to save Padme, my wife. She's pregnant, and I saw her die in childbirth. He also told me how treacherous the Jedi are, and how they wanted to take over the Republic."

"_Wife?!" _Mace repeated, gazing at Anakin in shock; he and the rest of the council knew the two were close, but not that close.

"Hmm," the stranger remarked, not even bothering to counter the argument. "Do you really believe that, do you actually have proof they wanted to take control?"

"They sent me to spy on the Chancellor, if that's not proof of their treachery, I do not know!" Anakin argued.

"That was because we were growing concerned about him," Mace interrupted, looking at Anakin with a sudden pity and the realisation the Jedi Council might have actually pushed the young Jedi into Palpatine's hands. How could they have made such a stupid mistake? Despite not trusting Anakin, and ignoring the fact some of his worst fears about the younger Jed had just been justified in his mind, Mace Windu would need to be blind not to see that Anakin was powerful, more powerful than Master Yoda himself.

If that power turned to the Dark side….

"There was no need for any of this," Mace whispered, suddenly exhausted and guilt-ridden about how he and the rest of the council had pushed the young Jedi all these years into Palpatine's waiting hands. "You could have come to either myself or Master Yoda-."

"I went to Yoda, told him the basics of my dreams," Skywalker interrupted himself, glaring resentfully at the Jedi Master, however the tears in his eyes made him look to Mace like someone on the verge of breaking down along with his entire world, "he told me that I should let it happen. I didn't tell him-."

"You couldn't because of the Code," Mace whispered and he closed his eyes, seeing for himself now the kind of damage the code had done and could have done to the Order if someone of Skywalker's power had fallen into the dark side.

"So you believe that it is right for you to betray everything you've been taught?" the stranger asked, looking at Skywalker with a sudden dangerous expression Mace did not like. Instinctively he was about to knock the man away, but then he remembered that the Force had been negated. There was nothing he could do.

Skywalker looked at the stranger angrily, clearly frustrated. "Palpatine would have helped me," he repeated stubbornly. "The Jedi never did; I told them about the nightmares I had of my mother dying, and they _didn't care! _Ever since Palpatine told me about that Sith Lord who could stop death, it made me think, and he promised he would help me save my wife when I couldn't even save my mother! If I am teetering on the edge between the light and dark, then whose fault would it be - mine or theirs?"

"He was lying," the stranger interrupted, ignoring the question although the point had entered Mace's mind and was echoing through his brain since Anakin had just raised a good point. "Palpatine was influencing your nightmares of both your mother and wife dying because he was the one responsible for them."

Skywalker shook his head. "No, no. That's not true... That's Impossible!"

"He hired a bounty hunter to kidnap your mother and deliver her to the Tusken raiders," the stranger went on brutally as he went on even as Anakin refused to believe him to make the young Jedi see sense, "and he directed the dreams straight into your mind. He also subtly used your grief at her death to make you slaughter that camp. Palpatine even went as far as to _subtly _make you slaughter them! Don't be a fool, Skywalker - the proof is buried in Palpatine's computer; he kept it there because he arrogantly believed no-one would defeat him and look."

Mace turned to Skywalker in disbelief, though from what he was hearing it all sounded plausible. He remembered that meeting he had with Yoda, how the small Grand Master and a longtime friend had been taken by surprise by the pain and grief Anakin was suffering from some tragedy, but the Clone Wars had pushed all thoughts of investigation from their minds.

To Mace's dismay, Anakin still looked like he was going to deny everything he was hearing. "No, he wouldn't-," he denied.

"He did," the stranger countered. "He also twisted your judgement, making you think the Jedi were planning on taking over the Republic, and the dark side was the only way to save your wife."

"He told me that it was the right thing to do," Skywalker argued, but it was the last thing he ever said.

The stranger lifted the blaster again and fired two blasts into Anakin's chest when he seemed to realise Skywalker didn't seem to want to listen, but Mace had the sudden impression the stranger had already planned on shooting the young Jedi anyway regardless of "making him see sense," it had been the stranger's plan all along.

And it made Mace sick to his stomach as though it wasn't bad enough considering the still numb pain he was feeling from the loss of his arm.

"You didn't have to do that," Mace protested, looking down at the corpse in surprise.

"He was too far gone, Master Windu. Even with Palpatine dead, there was no telling what he would have done otherwise; that was the real reason I brought this harness tonight," the stranger replied.

"And you think you have the right to play judge, jury and executioner?" Mace snapped, fighting down another wave of nausea as he glared at the stranger. He suddenly had the unpleasant thought the man didn't care for helping Skywalker before he had made his choice, but without the Force to rely on to give him insight, he couldn't prove it. And without the Force, never mind his lightsaber, he was hopeless himself.

"Someone has to," the stranger argued. "I took the only realistic course of action. Skywalker's fate was pretty much written in stone when he went after the Tuskens and slaughtered them all. He believed Palpatine when he said that it was the right thing to do. He believed the Jedi Order planned on taking power, even when none of you ever plotted or schemed for it."

Mace fought down another wave of nausea; he wished he had the Force to help him cope with the pain and soothe his mind while he could push his anger away at the man's self-righteous attitude.

"Anakin did have a good point; whose fault would it be?" the stranger looked at Mace seriously. "Your Order hounded Anakin throughout the years, he sensed your distrust of him, and when he needed help the most you turned him away. He had nowhere to turn, and even Obi-Wan couldn't have helped him. Palpatine filled that void. Take some advice, the next time you have a powerful Jedi in the making, don't turn him away for being powerful and reckless. Give him help. Support him. Otherwise, this can happen again, and your Order will pay for its collective arrogance."

Mace glared at the stranger, angry that this murderer was giving him a lecture on something he was already regretting. He was already composing his next meeting with the rest of the Council, and he was not looking forward to it since they would need to face up to their mistakes and how they would need to fix them in the future, but he knew the stranger had a good point.

After Anakin and the mistakes pointed out about the dead Jedi, Mace Windu wondered if the Jedi Order would fail to learn from their mistakes as they had in the past with Dooku and the rumour of the Sith returning in the first place which had started this whole mess off.

Mace wished he could travel back in time and find a way of supporting Anakin, maybe even take his apprenticeship over to help teach him a better way of channelling his darker tendencies, and helping him gain some degree of trust in the Jedi Order instead of looking at it with distrust although they were on the same side.

"If I were you, I would make sure his wife is taken care of when she gives birth," the stranger added, "just say that an assassin killed him and that he loves her regardless."

Mace closed his eyes, feeling the burden on his shoulders already. He reopened his eyes and glared at the man, but he realised the stranger had disappeared without a trace. "Where are you?" Mace called out, frustrated, wishing he had other Jedi with him, that he had the Force on his side but he had nothing although he could feel the Force slowly return to him.

"I am leaving, Master Windu," the Jedi Master suddenly heard the stranger speak, his voice amplified as though he were speaking into a comlink and had set it the highest amplification option. "Nearby are a few things you should find interesting; I've also left the security footage of Anakin Skywalker's meeting with Palpatine about the temptation for him to turn. But the other tapes will hold some information the Jedi should find interesting."

Mace was about to speak when there was a rushing wind and a strange, wheezing, groaning sound, and then nothing. The Jedi Master felt the Force return, but as he scanned the offices, he knew the stranger had vanished as swiftly as he had arrived. Whatever the strange had done to the Force with those lizards had negated it so much so Mace had no means of probing the Force to learn more about the stranger.

He sighed as he looked around, and his eyes caught Skywalker's dead body, and he sighed with sorrow. He had no idea what he was going to do next; the Sith Lord had been defeated, the war was virtually over, and the Jedi Order was still safe until the next challenge. But he was worried about what the news of her husbands' death would cause to Senator Amidala, and he could not help but wonder if the Jedi's death would cause her to lose her life while she gave birth. Mace closed his eyes, praying it did not happen; the poor woman had enough to deal with as it was; it was bad enough she had been in a Senate commanded by a monster in the first place, but learning that her husband was dead, and his whole life had been manipulated would probably be too much…


End file.
